Other bambusas you may look in to are: B. tuldoides varieties, such as PUNTING POLE, 'Ventricosa' BUDDHA'S BELLY, 'Ventricosa Kimmei', or CloneX. I grow these here(except CloneX) and they do very well. B. malingensis, B. pachinensis, B. pervariabilis 'Viridistriatus', B. eutuldoides 'Viridivittata', B. chungii, and all of the textilis varieties do well here. The cold is their only enemy and it isn't that bad. Temps into the mid 20's did little, if any, damage to them this year. Nighttime lows range from mid 30's to upper 40's. Daytime highs range from low 50's to the 70's. A few years back, some were completely covered in ice for almost one full day, but the temps didn't drop below 28F, so they had little damage. Snow won't be a big problem as long as it doesn't get extremely cold and as long as it doesn't stay covered in snow for long periods of time. If you have oldhamii, tuldoides, textilis, dolichomerithalla, and h. hookerianus teague blue, then these will do well also. Your high altitude may be more of a factor than the cold, although I can't say for sure since I'm in Texas. Your area is a whole 'nother country. The Bambusas do love heat and high humidity so they are suited to this Texas climate, yet it could be a bit warmer in the Winters. Any of these are definitely worth trying but may need Winter protection in their first couple of Winters and keep them watered well during all Winters thereafter. Good Luck Kt

my guess is that your va heat is similar to georgia, so you are doing something to keep these finicky guys happy. i'd be interested in hearing how yours do over time, there are lots of folks who have given up on the montane species in hot/humid climates such as yours so let us know what all you are seeing/doing to keep yours happy. i have 3x seen a happy looking c. gigantea drop dead in 2 weeks of 90's w/high humidity. a grower nearby tried them and exactly the same thing, he thought his were doing well and he said in 2 weeks dead. the only other person i know of in the s.e. who is having some success with the montane species is in the mountains of s carolina and he says they seldom hit 90. friends in tn, ohio, alabama, mississippi all have killed theirs as well.

According to Sean Hogan, Chusqueas grow very high and far South in the Andes so perhaps z6 is not out of the question for some selections.... but these are probably not C. culeou. Perhaps such plants would be classified under C. andina. Also, Chusqueas such as C. culeou and C. valdiviensis have shown greater cold hardiness in maritime climates than in the Southeast (though few people have tried them in the Southeast)... in the case of C. culeou this could be a genetic thing but for C. valdiviensis, it would seem that the stress of growing in a climate with hot summers and wide swings in temperature in fall and spring detracts from its cold hardiness (this is also true of some palms). Specifically... it has withstood 10F with no damage here, but has frozen to the ground every winter at a friend's garden in SC from temperatures in the mid teens. Larger and more established plants can handle more cold of course, within reason. I would generally rate Chusquea and Yushania hardiness as follows based on their performance in the Northwest.... C. culeou anywhere from 0-15F C. culeou 'Cana Prieta' 0F C. cumingii at least 10F C. gigantea/breviglumis about 5F but late shoots may be destroyed by cold C. macrostachya at least 10F C. valdiviensis at least 10F Y. anceps incl. 'Pitt White'... at least 0-5F (fully hardy here) Y. maling 15F... no problems in my sheltered garden but some report late shoots are damaged by cold... could be hardier in SE. That's what I've seen... as for other Chusquea and Yushania spp. I'm not sure and can only quote books and web sites!

It's not surprising that plants from Andean and Mexican cloudforests, where temperatures are constantly between about 50-70F and humidity is always high, are unable to adapt to continental climates such as Texas. The Chilean species, of course, come from a much more seasonal climate and are able to handle more cold, but it is not very hot there either. Certainly any Chusqueas that eventually prove to be growable back east will be the exception rather than the rule. But you can grow many heat and summer moisture loving bamboos more quickly and easily than we can on the west coast. Here is a link that might be useful: Chusquea? at Machu Picchu